After the orgy of the magnums declined in all sizes and varieties, considered for several years as the optimal point of arrival for any form of hunting, it was realized that not a few ammunition set to rest too early they could provide adequate service, in many cases better. It was necessary to expand again the evaluation on the different parameters provided by a rifled barrel charge, ceasing to evaluate the energy over long range as hegemonic. That currently many hunts require this parameter to be highlighted is certainly a fact, just as it is undeniable that the snare to certain animals takes place at a much closer distance and sometimes requires the replication of the shot, either to correct or implement the first blow. , you want to take advantage of a second prey that follows the first. The old German cartridges, born at the beginning of the twentieth century, have thus been reconsidered and, alongside the 9,3 × 62 rifle rifle, the fame of the 9,3x74R has been revived by the case with a collar comparable to similar products created by direct competitors of beyond the English Channel, obtained by shrinking the collar of .360 size cases such as the .400 / .400 Nitro Express and .360 / .400 Westley Richards to .360 or by moving directly to a new production such as the .375 Flanged Magnum NE a little more powerful than the German product.
Together with the wild, the way to hunt them must be considered: the hunt for the wild boar, or other methods suitable for the cunning and leathery animal, require handy and ready-to-the-eye guns with the possibility of instantly doubling the shot: the king of the bush has energy and vitality in superabundance, so you definitely need a nice pack of joules conveyed by a ball that yields as much as possible in the middle together with a nice shock inflicted by the hydrodynamic shock. Here then is that the large section of a 9,3 mm, the bullet weight around 16,5 g (250 gr) and the shape of the case, very long and with a slightly accentuated shoulder, allow the charge to develop its prerogatives. with contained pressure and without penalizing the shooter with an annoying reaction: these solutions have been back in vogue for several years now, reoccupying the spaces they compete. As for the recoil, many do not suffer from the blow of the magnums, but the imbalance and the wheelie are always present to invalidate the dubbing of the shot: with these cartridges you are definitely at an advantage. Coming to shotguns and remaining on the subject of rifled barrels, the semiautomatic has been joined by the two barrels, parallel or superimposed, which in different areas are more popular and appreciated than the first: it is precisely to this genre of shotguns that the collar cartridges are dedicated as this 9,3x74R under examination in the installation curated by Blaser.
The thick cardboard box in glossy copper color with the outline of a boar running black attracts the eye and is certainly a classy presentation: among the various printed writings, ballistic data are particularly interesting which, in practical German use, report the values of speed in m / sec, of energy in Joules and of trajectory with the variations in cm declined from 0 to 300 m with intervals of 50 m. The double series of measurements takes into account the calibration at 100 m or the optimal one defined GEE (Günstigste Einschuss Enfernung) for which the maximum allowed elevation of the ball must remain within 4,0 cm. It will be noted that this prescription here brings +4 cm at 100 m, zero at 153 m with a fall of -9,0 cm at 200 m, -24,9 cm at 250 m and -47,9 cm at 300 m. In parallel to the speed in m / sec goes the energy expressed in Joules: 740/4438 at the mouth, 708/4066 at 50 m (most probable shot at wild boar), 677/3719 at 100 m, 618/3094 at 200 m and 562 / 2556 at 300 m: as you can see, the cartridge provides absolutely interesting values for short and medium distance shots, but with adequate optical sights and targets of suitable size, the engagement of wild boar, fallow deer and deer even at the limit of 300 m is completely practicable: the evident drop of the bullet is well correctable while the energy is favorably exuberant considering the section and weight of the ball.
The Blaser 9,3x74R mounts the CDC bullet created by the company engineering studio and manufactured by Barnes while the assembly and loading of the cartridge are the prerogative of the Norma. Certainly a triad of universally known excellence. A sectional drawing of the ball is shown illustrating the wide base of the conical polycarbonate tip that continues downwards with a tapered cylindrical stem inserted into a special recess in the ogive. The best flying qualities are ensured together with a consistent expansion due to the large diameter of the hole on which the tip itself insists and to the work of the stem which acts as a wedge in the body of the projectile: in this way there will be a consistent increase in diameter with maintenance of the mass thanks to the structure that does not tend to split.
It is very pleased that the classic designs of European cartridges are back in vogue and that the most renowned manufacturers offer them with the innovative current components in parallel with much older, but always topical solutions.